Maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Maternal mortality ratio was 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
74th
of 185 countries
All-time high
269.92 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
74.43 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua, 1985–2020
Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 live births.
Analysis
The most recent figure for maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua is 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 3.7% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua peaked at 269.92 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 74.43 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2018.
That places Nicaragua 74th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 269.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 264.61 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 250.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 238.09 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.1% |
| 1989 | 214.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.7% |
| 1990 | 215.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 202.66 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.0% |
| 1992 | 208.76 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 199.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 199.51 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 189.47 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 188.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 175.66 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 182.3 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 166.66 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 168.82 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 173.75 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 164.25 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.5% |
| 2003 | 166.37 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 165.5 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 157.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 134.94 deaths per 100,000 live births | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 125.38 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 112.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.4% |
| 2009 | 103.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 97.85 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 94.5 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 92.13 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 91.03 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 80.87 deaths per 100,000 live births | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 79.39 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 77.25 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 76.02 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 74.43 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 75.08 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.7% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 69.83 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 247.68 deaths per 100,000 live births | 214.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | 269.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 192.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | 166.66 deaths per 100,000 live births | 215.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 147.24 deaths per 100,000 live births | 103.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | 173.75 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.86 deaths per 100,000 live births | 74.43 deaths per 100,000 live births | 97.85 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 71 Vanuatu 94.44 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 72 Mauritius 84.36 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 73 Philippines 78.24 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 75 Algeria 77.69 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 76 Bahamas 77.05 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 77 Kiribati 76.33 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Nicaragua
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,175 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3497 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0458 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.323 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Nicaragua was 77.88 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 269.92 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.43 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018.
- How does Nicaragua rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Nicaragua ranks 74th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.